SILETZ NewS
Delores Pigsley,
Tribal Chairman
Brenda Bremner,
General Manager
and Editor-in-Chief
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
Vol. 42, No. 4
Siletz News
Confederated Tribes of
Siletz Indians
P.O. Box 549
Siletz, OR 97380-0549
April 2014
Presorted
First-Class
Mail
U.S. Postage
Paid - Permit
No. 178
Salem, OR
Courtesy photo by Alicia Keene
Maddy Metcalf puts up a shot during
a game in the 4 th -6 th grade division
during the Siletz Community Coed
Basketball Tournament in March.
See more photos, including those of
the champion and runner-up teams,
on page 10.
President’s Indian Affairs budget request includes Tribal consultation;
promotes strong Tribal economies, communities and families
WASHINGTON – President Obama’s
Fiscal Year 2015 budget request for Indian
Affairs, which includes the Bureau of
Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Bureau of
Indian Education (BIE), is $2.6 billion – a
$33.6 million increase above the FY 2014
enacted level.
Informed by consultation with Tribes
and reflective of Tribal priorities, Inte-
rior’s 2015 budget continues the focus on
improved self-determination for Tribal
nations, safety of Indian communities, trust
resource management and post-secondary,
elementary and secondary education.
Among the major highlights, the bud-
get proposal fully funds contract support
costs that Tribes incur as managers of
programs serving American Indians and
proposes a new Tiwahe Initiative, which
integrates social services and job training
programs to address the interrelated issues
of poverty and child and family welfare.
The President’s Opportunity, Growth
and Security Initiative would further invest
in economic development and education in
Indian Country to promote strong, resil-
ient Tribal economies and dramatically
improve educational opportunities.
Strengthening Tribal Nations
Initiative
The Strengthening Tribal Nations
Initiative is one of the Department of the
Interior’s key priorities. The FY 2015
request includes $26.5 million in pro-
gram increases for four areas: Advancing
Nation-to-Nation Relationships, Support-
ing Indian Families and Protecting Indian
Country, Supporting Sustainable Steward-
ship of Trust Resources and Advancing
Indian Education.
The request also proposes a total of
$922.6 million in Tribal Priority Alloca-
tions, an increase of $19.3 million over
the FY 2014 enacted level.
Advancing Nation-to-Nation
Relationships
The FY 2015 budget request for
Contract Support, including the Indian
Self-Determination Fund, is $251 mil-
lion, a $4 million increase over the FY
2014 enacted level. The FY 2015 budget
request fully funds estimated 2015 con-
tract support costs.
Public Law 93-638, the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance
Act, allows federally recognized Tribes
to operate federal programs themselves
under contract with the United States.
Tribes rely on contract support funds
to pay the costs of administering and
managing contracted programs. The avail-
ability of contract support cost funding is
a key factor in a Tribe’s decision and abil-
ity to assume responsibility for operating
federal programs.
To facilitate Tribal 638 contracting, the
request includes an additional $1.2 million
to increase services provided by the depart-
ment’s Office of Indirect Cost Negotia-
tions, which negotiates indirect cost rates
with non-federal entities, including Tribal
governments, that contract with Interior in
accordance with federal regulations.
To further enhance the nation-to-nation
relationship, Indian Affairs continues its
comprehensive look at federal acknowl-
edgment regulations with the intent of
publishing a proposed rule in 2014.
The FY 2015 budget also proposes
language to clarify the Secretary of the
Interior’s authority to take land into trust
and to amend the Indian Reorganization
Act of 1934 to reduce significant delays
in processing fee-to-trust applications.
Supporting Indian Families and
Protecting Indian Country
The FY 2015 budget proposes an
$11.6 million increase for the Tiwahe
Initiative. Tiwahe is Lakota for “family.”
The initiative provides a comprehen-
sive and integrated approach to address
the interrelated problems of poverty,
violence and substance abuse in Ameri-
can Indian communities. Through this
initiative, social services and job training
programs will be integrated and expanded
to address child and family welfare, job
training and incarceration issues, with the
goal of promoting family stability and
strengthening Tribal communities.
The BIA’s Housing Improvement
Program will continue to provide services
that result in more functional dwellings
and institute changes to alleviate over-
crowding in Indian homes.
See Budget on page 19.